Gloria's Place

The Flip and Tumble is a nice sized bag. According to the website, the exact measurement of each bag is 12"x14"x5" with a 26" strap. The strap of the bag has a nice shape and length that makes it easy to fit around the shoulder. The strap is also thinly padded for extra comfort.

Its compact ability is a great feature. When compacted it is rolled up into a little soft ball. How? The bag easily stuffs back into itself by being stuffed into the attached pocket. Because it stuffs easily and softly into itself it takes up less space than other compact reusable bags such as the zippered ones. The size that that the Flip and Tumble compacts into makes it small enough to fit in a purse, in a vehicle cup holder or even in pant pockets. The size and ease of use and storage no longer provides the famous excuse  "I forgot to bring my reusable bag" to be used again.

The bag, with its simple solid color, is indeed stylish enough to carry around everywhere: restaurant, gym, grocery store, farmer's market, visiting friends and family, etc. The bags material (lightweight ripstop nylon) is stretchy and allows for a good amount of items to fit inside. I can fit my gym items (water bottle, CD, wallet, etc.) inside with no trouble. In fact now I can also stuff a towel in the bag if I need.

The bag has the capacity to hold 25 lb. To prove this I tested it out and placed 25 lbs of free weights inside the bag. It held well, though the strap pad did little to pad my shoulder. The padding did not make my load feel any lighter. Then again I don't see myself carrying around 25lbs of solid weight. Do I? How much does two gallons of milk way?

My favorite aspect of the bag is that once it's worn and overused it can be sent back to the Flip and Tumble Company to be recycled. In other words nothing goes to waste and thousands of plastic bags stay out of the landfill thanks to the reusable bag.

The only thing I don't like about the bag is that if I toss it in my car and its filled to the top with items it topples over and the items spill out. I'd love it if there were a few snap buttons across the top of the bag, or some Duffy Velcro making it easier to keep the stuff in the bag inside the bag.

The $12 bag comes in the following colors: lime, evergreen, pink, blue and black. Though, a bit pricy for just one bag (as compared to the dull dollar grocery store bags with the store name on it I've bought) I will say that the Flip and Tumble is a lot cheaper than most reusable "stylish" bags available.

For more information go to Flip and Tumble.

"Preserve Toothbrush was designed by dentists and engineers to be an innovation in both oral care and eco-friendliness." How well do they brush? To find out I took the opportunity from MomCentral to test and review these Preserve toothbrushes.

How is the toothbrush made? The toothbrush handle has a dentist-recommended 45° curved handle and soft bristles. The handle is made from recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups. Are the bristles really soft? Yes! Comfortably soft.

What I like best about this line of toothbrushes is that the toothbrushes aren't just made of recycled material but they are recycled once again when they've worn. Dentists recommend that they be replaced every 3 months. To have these toothbrushes recycled once they've worn, print a mailing label from the Recycline website  and mail the toothbrush and its case back (for free!) to Recycline to be recycled into plastic decking, picnic tables and boardwalks!

Please conserve by mailing as many as you can in one package, though due to post office restrictions, Recycline can only accept packages under 13 ounces.

As a consumer I'm completely satisfied with this product... well as always I have a suggestions. If I could change anything about the Preserve toothbrushes it would be the mail back system. Instead of mailing the toothbrushes back why not have drop off sites at certain locations (maybe Target) so that a bulk amount of toothbrushes can be mailed back at once, cutting down on packaging and emission cost. Wouldn't this be more eco-friendly?

Recycline also has a whole line of other recycled and recyclable products such as: Preserve juniors for children 2-8. These toothbrushes are made just as eco-friendly but with and easier handle grip for children. In addition, there are Preserve tongue cleaners, toothpicks, triple razors, cutting boards, picnic ware, and more. Check them out at the Recycline Website.

Preserve toothbrushes are available at Target stores nationwide for only $2.04. For Recycline Preserve coupons visit the Recycline website.

A few months ago I received a sample of lotion called Gloves In A Bottle.  Does it really feel like an invisible pair of gloves? Yeah! I often used it to help soothe my sometimes very dry skin. I found that I only had to reapply about twice a day.  I used Gloves In A Bottle on my face, legs, hands, etc. I found it worked well throughout my skin. The only thing I did not like about the lotion is that contrary to the advertisement to it being a nonstick lotion I found it to be a bit sticky and a bit greasy. This only felt uncomfortable though when I applied to my hands and worked at my desk (which is when I usually apply) on other parts of my skin this was not a problem at all. Gloves In A Bottle is also fragrance free, hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

For a complete and detailed listing of the ingredients in Gloved In A Bottle visit the ingredients list.

For more information on the lotion Gloves In a Bottle visit the website.

"Bonds with the outer layer of your skin and helps lock in your natural oils and moisture " Gloves In a Bottle.

With the two Ragu Fresh and Simple Packets sauce samples I received a few weeks ago, I was able to make two family meals ( a family of 3: 1 adult and 2 children). There was no extra  sauce to store in the fridge , nor was there a need to open up another pouch to add more.

What I admire about the samples: the Ragu Fresh and Simple Packets sauce did not contain preservative (awesome), nor was any sugar added (love that), and a full serving of vegetables is in every 1/2 cup of pasta sauce (always a good thing). The pasta sauce also smells great, especially the tomato basil sample.  The taste was good. It wasn't great as my husbands homemade sauce, but for a quick ready to have sauce it was good.

I did not use the microwave to heat these sauce. Though using the microwave is a handy option I avoid using the microwave whenever I can for personal reason. Instead I heated the thick sauce on the stove in a sauce pan mixed in with diced fresh veggies, mushrooms and ground beef. This makes the sauce chunky too. I love chunky sauce.  In fact even if Ragu had a chunky version of this product I would still cut up fresh veggies and add it to the sauce. It's just me.

My children enjoyed the meals made with these two samples. I personally enjoyed the tomato basil flavor over the garden veggie flavor.

Changes I would make to the product if I had a say in it, would be: make the pouches easier to open (without scissors). It's great that there is no longer a need to use a can opener, but there is still a need to have a handy pair of scissors around to cut these Ragu pouches. I would also like it if the pouches were recyable. I try to recycle eveything. This is why I like glass jars and cans. I would have really been delighted if an organic version of these sauces were available too.

 For free recipes go to Feed Our Kids Well.
This is a wonderful website to learn how to raise your kids eating and living healthy.





 

First, I have to start of saying I love Ocean Spray's craisans. I know this product is not part of the tour, but I still felt I had to mention them since I really can't live without them. If they were a drug I would be an addict. If only they were just a bit cheaper and came in eco-friendly packaging I'd be even more addicted and buy more .

Moving on to the actual product. I received 2 different flavored 12 FL oz (perfect lunch size by the way) of Cranergy drinks. The cranberry flavored was not my favorite as it has a strong taste that took by surprise at first with a slight after taste. Still once I became accustomed to it, it was quite good.

However, the raspberry cranberry was delicious from the first sip to the last. Absolutely delicious.

Did they give me more energy...I really couldn't tell, but to be honest its kind of hard to tell from just two drinks. What I could tell is that they tasted delicious (one more than the other) and that Ocean Spray products tend to be delicious, so far as my experience goes. They also tend to be healthy. That said, I would take another sip if I had the chance.

For what purpose?
I would serve these drinks at a party rather than soda's which a lot of people buy for the energy they think they get from caffeine. I'd rather have something refreshing like this instead. I wouldn't buy it in individual containers though. I would buy one large container of this  and then refill refillable bottles with it. (It reduces packaging this way).

The eco in me wants to ask for an organic line of these please. Ocean Spray already has a line of organic juices they just need to add organic Cranergy to the list. By the way I looked and looked today and my grocery store doesn't carry Ocean Spray Organic Juices. This was disappointing. I will have to ask my store to add them to the list :).

Go here for more Ocean Spray information.

What do Pond's, Mamma Mia!. and You have in common?

Pond's has partnered with the big screen remake of Mamma Mia! It is coming to theaters this summer. Women 40 and older are invited to form a singing trio to perform their own take on the classics "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen" and submit videos of their performances via the Pond's website.

For music and lyrics to rehearse to download music and lyrics from the Pond's website. 

The deadline for submissions is April 30th so hurry up and use these next few days to show off your voice and dancing feet. If you live near Broadway you can also audition live on April the 28th.

"A panel of judges will choose 5 dynamic trios as finalists, and their videos will be posted on this site on May 22. All of America is invited to vote online to determine the winning trio."

The winners (you and two of your friends) of the contest will win an awesome trip to London and the world premiere of Mamma Mia! The Movie.

For more information about this fun contest visit the Pond's website.

My daughter entered kindergarten this year. During the first semester the nurse sent out at least 2 letters to all parents about the infestation of lice and what to do about it in case our children got a head of lice. I worried that if it ever came down to it I would have to buy this powerful (potentially harmful) medicine for my children and have no choice but to use it on their heads. I sought safer alternatives and found none... then I read about Lice MD and had the opportunity to receive a sample of it. I have yet to try the sample (my kids fortunately do not have lice) but I am ecstatic about the idea that if they ever do I will have a box of LIceMD ready to use on them. It is pesticide free, non-toxic, dye free, odorless and free of harsh chemicals. The instructions of use are just as many as the toxic alternatives and it still requires the need to thoroughly clean your home at times of infestation, but the wonderful difference is how much safer it is for children. That is always a good thing. LiceMD